No more COVID-free state: New Zealand reports two new cases

WELLINGTON: New Zealand has reported eight new cases of coronavirus just after eight days without any fresh infections.

Reportedly, two women who had been given permission to leave quarantine early after arriving from abroad tested positive for the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in this regard said that the government would review what happened, but that it was clear checks were not adequate in this case.

“Vigorous testing is now taking place across those who were in the quarantine facility at the same time, and those who may have had any, even the remotest chance of contact,” Ardern said.

New Zealand has 1,156 confirmed cases and the number of recoveries remains at 1,482. Last week the island country of nearly five million people lifted all restrictions, declaring that the country was virus-free.

This was largely due to strict lockdown restrictions in which most businesses except essential services were shut, and people were ordered to stay indoors.

After originating in China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to 188 countries and regions, with the US, Brazil, Russia, and India currently the worst hit.

The pandemic has killed nearly 437,000 people worldwide, with the total number of infections over 8.03 million, while some 3.85 million people have recovered from the disease.